Maryland takes on its sixth nationally ranked opponent of the season and third in four games Monday as it welcomes Syracuse to Comcast Center for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN. It is the first and final regular season meeting between the teams as Atlantic Coast Conference foes.

Fans are encouraged to wear GOLD! The event is sold out, so remember to get to Comcast early to avoid traffic!

• The Terps are 5-2 all-time against the Orange in a series that dates back to 1972, when Tom McMillen scored 25 points and added 16 rebounds in an NIT victory at Madison Square Garden. This is the first non-tournament meeting between the teams, who have met twice in NCAA Tournament play.

• Maryland has fared well against AP top-5 teams in College Park, winning 34 of 85 meetings (40 percent). The Terrapins earned a pair of top-5 victories last season, defeating No. 2 Duke on two separate occasions -- the last coming in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, 83-74, on March 15, 2013.

• Junior Nick Faust gave the Terrapins a much-needed spark against Wake Forest last Tuesday, scoring a career-high 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. On a night when Maryland struggled from the field, Faust sparked the team off the bench en route to a double-digit victory.

• Sophomore forward Charles Mitchell turned in his second consecutive 12-point scoring performance last Tuesday against Wake Forest, providing strong interior play for Maryland. Mitchell ranks sixth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (2.81/g) and sixth in rebounds among underclassmen (6.5/g).

• Maryland guard Nick Faust and preseason ACC Player of the Year, C.J. Fair, are childhood friends from Baltimore, Md.

Terps Power Past Wake ForestNick Faust scored a career-high 20 points, and Maryland defeated Wake Forest 71-60 Tuesday night to kick off a two-game homestand. Faust, a junior guard, went 7 for 11 from the floor and sank four 3-pointers. Charles Mitchell contributed 12 points and Jake Layman added 11 for the Terrapins (15-12, 7-7 Atlantic Coast Conference). Maryland has eight straight wins over Wake Forest, the longest run in a series that began in 1953 and will end after this season. Travis McKie scored 16 for the Demon Deacons (14-12, 4-9) and Devin Thomas had 11 points and 15 rebounds. Wake Forest went 3 for 15 from 3-point range and 9 for 20 at the free throw line.

Scouting Syracuse Syracuse (25-2, 12-2 ACC) has hit a bump in the road since opening the season 25-0 and climbing to the number one spot in the associated press national rankings. After a pair of close calls against Pittsburgh and NC State, the Orange finally dropped their first ACC game when they were knocked off by Boston College on Feb. 19. Syracuse then lost to Duke Saturday night, 66-60. Featuring its patented 2-3 zone defense, Syracuse has caused trouble for opposing offenses all season. The Orange are fourth in the nation in forced turnovers (9.2/g) and 19th nationally in steals (8.3/g). Freshman phenom Tyler Ennis leads the ACC in assists (5.7/g) and ranks sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.64). Preseason ACC Player of the Year C.J. Fair -- a childhood friend of Nick Faust -- is seventh in the conference with 16.5 points per game.

Too Faust, Too Furious On a night when Dez Wells and Seth Allen combined for 4-of-18 shooting from the field, junior Nick Faust gave the Terrapins a much-needed lift off the bench in the win against Wake Forest last Tuesday. Faust eclipsed the 20-point barrier for the first time in his career, pouring in 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the effort. The Baltimore, Md. native did it all for the Terps, knocking down four 3-pointers, grabbing five rebounds and also dishing four assists. Maryland improved to 9-4 on the season when Faust scores at least 10 points in a game. The sixth man averages 11.1 points per game (45 percent shooting) in Terrapin victories, in contrast to 8.8 points (35 percent shooting) in losses.

A Series History: Syracuse Tonight’s contest marks the only non-tournament meeting in the short seven-game history between Maryland and Syracuse. The teams have met four times in postseason play -- twice in the NCAA Tournament (1973, 2004) and twice in the NIT (1972, 2008). Maryland holds a 5-2 advantage in the series, although its last win came in 1980. This will mark the seventh time in eight meetings that one of either Maryland or Syracuse appears in the national rankings. The last meeting came on March 20, 2008, when the Orange came away with an 88-72 victory on 23 points from Jonny Flynn. James Gist had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. In the last NCAA Tournament meeting, Syracuse knocked off the No. 19 Terrapins in the second round on March 20, 2004 after nearly squandering a 16-point second half lead. See pg. 4 for a complete history.